Some weeks ago Greece won the last edition of U-16 Pasqua Barocca Tournament, held in Ragusa (Italy). Australian Danny Mills, assistant coach and director of coaching and youth teams of UPEA Orlandina Basket, sent us the scouting reports of the best players there. In this article he analyzes german 6'2'' point-guard David Taylor ('95), from BBC Bayreuth. Here we go.
BODY/ATHLETICISM: Taylor has good size and strength for a PG at the U16 level. Has a cut physique and is very fit, being able to pressure full court on defense throughout the entire game. Has an upperbody that he can add strength to quite easily and is a good athlete with quick feet and explosiveness.
SHOOTING: Has good form on his jump shot with a nice follow-through, although he doesn’t use his legs enough and tends to use too much arm creating a flat shot. Needs to get his release point higher and get more arc on his shot. When playing off the ball he sets his feet well and is ready for the pass in a catch and shoot situation and has a relatively quick release. Showed the ability to come off the ball screen and pull-up in the paint for a jumper with good footwork but needs to work on his consistency as he only shot 4/12 from the field during both games. Has range out to 23 feet and is not hesitant to pull the trigger from deep.
POSITION OFFENSE: Has a tight handle and controls the ball well both in the halfcourt and in transition. Taylor comes off ball screens aggressively and is looking to attack the basket or penetrate and pass to an open teammate. Has good vision and will hit the open man at the right time. Has very good quickness both with and without the ball but doesn’t always use this to his advantage, over dribbling at times and turning the ball over. Had 12 turnovers in 2 games. Once he gets in the lane he needs to learn when to shoot a floater or attack the basket, and when to pull the ball back out and not force the play. If he can gain consistency on his jump-shot and minimize his turnovers he will be a very hard cover for any opposing PG to contain.
DEFENSE/REBOUNDING: Posses quick feet on defense and combined with his upper-body strength is able to get up and in to the opposing guards and pressure the ball full-court. Is active off the ball on defense and uses his quicks to get in the passing lanes, averaging 4.5 spg against Greece and Spain. Is a decent rebounder for his size and position with 3 per game. If he can continue to work on improving his defense he could become a very good defender at the next level and beyond, but he cant afford to take plays off.
MISCELLANEOUS: Doesn’t show much leadership skills on the court and this is something he needs to improve being a PG. Taylor has a lot of natural talent and good court awareness but needs to play consistently hard every possession and not only for short periods.
OVERALL RATING: 7 – If Taylor can continue to develop his PG skills, make his jump-shot more consistent and be a lock down defender he has the chance to play at a high level in Europe in the years to come. Has good potential for the future.
Photo: www.basketball-bund.de
